Metalstorm
by kt139029
Summary: TFP. Slightly AU. A mishap between Megatron and Starscream leads to an unexpected result, and Starscream discovers his previously unknown ability to care for someone other than himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to the 'Random Reviewer'! Honestly, when I posted this story, it WAS more of an outline, not very in depth, rushed and without much characterization, and it was that way because I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue it, so I kept it that way and waited to see what happened. But once I got decent feedback, I decided I do want to continue it. I rewrote it and my beta agrees that there wasn't much more to change once I rewrote it properly. It's a matter of me NOT writing at 3am in the morning. LOL.

Thanks to the other reviewers too! This is basically the same chapter, but extended. I hope you all are still planning on reading. Reread this one too! It's better.

Keep in mind in the description it says "Slighty AU". I do take hints of actions and other things from other Transformers shows. It's set in the TFP verse, but not strictly, canonly that.

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><p>Starscream found himself angry. It was a strange kind of anger, a type he hadn't felt before. Ever…at least, not since before the war, before Megatron. However, he found himself shaking, uttering curses, and pacing around the medical bay while Knockout tended to a wounded mech on the berth. As angry as he was, he was surprised what happened had made him this upset, it was like , as the fleshbags put it, 'opening a can of worms'.<p>

"I'll storm back down there _**now**_!" He screeched, and Knockout cringed. When Starscream got angry, it wasn't good for anyone near him.

"I don't need two patients, Starscream." Knockout said, staring back at his commander with a demanding look as Starscream narrowed his optics and clenched his hands into fists.

Looking back to the injured mech, Knockout got back to work, as Starscream continued to rant, as was per normal for him. Knockout really only caught the last sentence.

"I am used to him knocking me around like a piece of scrap—the _fragger_—but he will not, will _not_, do the same to _**our sparkling**_."

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><p>It had been some kind of accident, really. Something went wrong and someone miscalculated. Starscream had never anticipated that he could be put into a situation very much like this one, but here he stood, staring down into a berth at a slumbering sparkling, one that belonged to both Megatron and Starscream. The seeker narrowed his optics.<p>

"I'm not a parent." He hissed, looking down at the small mech in the berth, and Megatron smirked.

"It would seem you are. He was formed within you." It was a low quip, something that compared Starscream to the females of Earth, and though Cybertronians techincally had no gender and all had the ability to produce sparklings, this annoyed him. "He reaches for you. Cries for you. The spark-bond is there, whether you feel it yet or not, Starscream, and you _will _take care of _our _child. Am I clear?"

Starscream sent the deadliest of glares Megatron's way, and Megatron watched his second in command with a blank expression for a few moments. "I've no clue why you're angry with me, Starscream."

"Because you're to blame!" He nearly yelled, and Megatron held up a hand, looking down to the sparkling in the berth, which squirmed and made a face. Both anticipated it would begin to cry, but it didn't, so Megatron spoke.

"Ah, ah, ah." He tsked, the smirk too apparent. "We're both to blame. Think on that, my second. You _will_ take care of our sparkling." Megatron excused himself from the room, and Starscream cursed him as he left. What was he supposed to do with a sparkling? A sparkling didn't belong on the Nemesis, in the middle of all his plans. Now it wouldn't be as easy to take leadership, to stab Megatron in the back when he wasn't looking. A sigh escaped Starscream, and he allowed his lithe form to lean against the berth as his optics scanned over the sparkling in it.

...he could see so much of himself already. The wings. The markings. But Megatron was present too. Starscream wasn't sure he liked that, but was there honestly a way to avoid seeing them both? Making a face, he decided to focus more on the features that reminded him of himself, and the more he looked for them, the more he found them. As he calmed down, he continued to examine the sparkling, call it 'doing research'. At least, that made him feel better.

"..Metalstorm." Starscream breathed. A strong name. Megatron had chosen it, and as much as Starscream hated it and protested against it at first, it was growing on him now. He lifted a claw to trail down the sparkling's face gently, and it squirmed, yawning and extending its small arms, with tiny claws, like Starscream had. The seeker had to smile.

"…heh. _My_ Metalstorm."

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><p>"Metalstorm, no!" Starscream scrambled after the sparkling, who was now as quick as he was, if not nearly quicker. Starscream never understood the amount of energy sparklings had. It was almost as if they didn't ever have to recharge and Starscream was constantly chasing Metalstorm, who found this defiance funny as he ran away from his parent, who had stopped running and began to access where Metalstorm would stop to hide.<p>

Once Starscream thought he knew, he started to take a step forward until Knockout stopped him. "Hm, Commander? He's behind the crate." Knockout nodded to a corner up ahead of them, a little pede sticking out from behind it. Starscream smirked, swooping forward and grabbing Metalstorm's pede, and holding him upside down.

He was going to scold the sparkling, but the giggles that emitted from Metalstorm gave Starscream pause. He pursed his lips and made a face as Metalstorm kept saying, "Again! Again!" and glanced over to Knockout, who shrugged.

"I think he likes the game." The medic said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Starscream shook his helm angrily.

"It is not a _game_!" He yelled, and Metalstorm's giggles ceased. Catching that, Starscream lowered his sparkling to a standing position, and Metalstorm stared up at Starscream with an expression that could break any spark.

Sighing, defeated (how was it one lost more battles as a parent than one did on the field, in the middle of war?), Starscream reached out and placed a clawed hand on Metalstorm's helm. "But perhaps we can play again later." Metalstorm emitted a cry of joy, rushing forward to hug Starscream, who stumbled backward when the sparkling wrapped its arms around him.

Metalstorm often would help Knockout in the lab, but Starscream hardly allowed him to be alone with Knockout. Simply put, he knew how much trouble Metalstorm could be. Day by day, he showed an insatiable curiosity that reminded Starscream of himself at that age. He always wanted to know something new; knowledge was limitless and always at his fingertips, and Metalstorm already knew it. However, somewhere between the, "Metalstorm, no."s and "No, that's dangerous, put that vial down!"s, Knockout realized that Starscream was falling into the role of parental unit a lot easier than the seeker had anticipated, but he didn't comment on it, merely stood back with a grin on his face. There were a plethora of new expressions the medic noticed on Starscream's features, going as far as pride for Metalstorm, and not just himself. It was almost uncharacteristic and strange, but Knockout would admit he preferred Starscream being the main parent rather than Megatron.

The leader's temper had not disappeared with the sparkling around; oftentimes it would appear he had no time for the growing Metalstorm. The most he'd said to Metalstorm all week was a 'good job' about learning to fly properly, with a pat on his helm. Starscream had been displeased by this, and followed through by raising his voice to Megatron behind closed doors, but he left with little hope anything would change. Knockout suggested that Starscream stay the sole parent, and even went as far as to offer to help from time to time, and Starscream took him up on this.

Of course, amidst all the interest Knockout had in watching Starscream raise the sparkling, there did come the day when he disobeyed his parents.

Starscream had been less than happy to have to leave the Nemesis to find the sparkling, who had gotten a handle on his flying rather quickly. Finding the curious little one by a lake in a patch of woods, Starscream landed and immediately began to scold him.

"Pray tell, Metal, exactly what you think you're doing?" Starscream's hands were on his hips, his eyes narrowed. The sparkling had frozen, and turned just slightly to look up at Starscream.

"I...wanted to see...Earth." He'd never left the ship before, and Starscream had been promising him for months on end that he would take the sparkling flying, yet it never happened. Sure, he could be to blame, but he wouldn't allow that to happen. Metalstorm had to learn discipline first, which he obviously hadn't yet. Especially not if Starscream had to follow him of the Nemesis onto Earth.

"What if the Autobots picked up your signal?" Starscream snapped, taking a step forward. "What would you have done if they showed up and outnumbered you?" Of course, he had been filling Metalstorm's processor with exaggerations about the Autobots. Starscream knew somewhere in the back of his own processor that they would not harm a sparkling, no matter which faction its spark belonged to, but he would never tell Metalstorm that.

"I'm sorry, I just—"

"You will come back now." Starscream demanded. There was no room to question him. Metalstorm sighed, looking back to the water, his optics dimming a bit. He was highly disappointed. There was his chance for a small adventure, and it was gone as quickly as he thought he could sneak off the ship to see the planet beneath them witout being seen.

"Yessir."

The flight back was silent. Starscream was aware that Metalstorm probably just wanted to explore, and he couldn't fault the sparkling for that. The Earth was an interesting place, when one explored it properly. Perhaps he needed to fulfill his promises and let Metalstorm go flying with him one day...but this time he had to be punished for his insubordination. It was that simple. Sparklings had to be punished when they disobeyed their parents, correct? Yes…correct. That was how it worked, and although the expression on the sparkling's face when they arrived back on the ship was spark-breaking, Starscream still led Metalstorm to Megatron.

"Seems Metalstorm thinks it appropriate to leave without informing either of us." Starscream snapped, having a hold on the sparkling's arm. Megatron looked to the two of them, examining them in silence for a few moments, before finally speaking.

"Leave us, Starscream."

His voice made Starscream raise a brow. "My lord, I am capable of delivering punishment to Metalstorm appropriately myself, considering I have been doing most of this myself anyw—"

"I said, leave us, Starscream."

Metalstorm looked up to Starscream with a worried expression, and Starscream masked his own well, nodding to Megatron and taking a step out of the room. He knew, however, that he would regret it.

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><p>It <em>was<em> a mistake. Starscream knew it was, and he seethed for days on end, waiting for Megatron to calm down from the child's misdemeanor, and staying by Metalstorm's side to be sure his repaired parts were functioning properly. For it to have been necessary for Knockout to repair the child was absolutely...barbaric. Had it been anyone else's sparkling, Starscream could have cared less, but the spark bond Megatron mentioned when Metalstorm was first produced was playing its role now. Starscream was the sole protector of this little one, and while he would still stop at nothing to achieve his own goals (if not just a bit more slowly than before), he would do anything to keep Metalstorm out of the line of fire in the process.

Still with the need to conquer the Decepticons, to murder Megatron where he stood, Starscream had to tread carefully with what he planned to do. His plans had been slowed down in favor of taking care of the sparkling, and now that Metalstorm was just a bit older, perhaps he could follow through properly…with even more of an excuse for the murder of Megatron. He allowed Metalstorm to heal properly, and spent a few days by his side, explaining why what Metalstorm had done was wrong, and trying to figure out how to respond when the sparkling asked why Megatron had gotten far angrier than Starscream did. Starscream didn't have an answer, but it made his spark wrench and his anger flare.

"You wait here with Knockout, Metalstorm. I have a few things to attend to." The second in command said, placing a hand on top of Metalstorm's helm again as he looked to Knockout. "Doctor, you'll find something for him to do."

"Yes, Commander Starscream, of course." Knockout said, knowing exactly where Starscream was headed off to. He crouched down to be at eye-level with Metalstorm, and began to explain just what they'd be doing together in the lab.

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><p>"My lord.." Starscream started, a simple smirk on his face. Megatron's eyes followed his treacherous second in command carefully as Starscream approached him in the main room. "All plans going accordingly?" The seeker asked, finally making his way to the throne and running his claws over it, then over Megatron's arms, and shoulders.<p>

"I'm sure you are well aware of the status of all of our expeditions at the moment, Starscream," Megatron rasped, staring up at the other mech. "If you are not, perhaps I should rethink your position as second in command."

"Oh, no no, that won't be necessary, master." Starscream said quietly, sitting himself on Megatron's lap comfortably. "Don't you realize, I live to serve you, and only you?" Such lies, treacherous lies dripping with venom, and Megatron saw them for what they were. However, he still dismissed the few Eradicons around them, as well as Soundwave. "I carry out the plans and expeditions," Starscream trailed a claw along Megatron's face gently. "I order the troops. I keep the ship running in your absence, as it has been for many, many cycles now..." He trailed off, noting that Megatron was just the tiniest bit more relaxed now...

With a swift movement, the seeker was completely on top of the leader, heeled feet holding his arms down as Starscream used his hands to wrap around Megatron's throat, and squeeze tightly.

"You may use me as a punching bag for your fragging inability to run a fleet of Decepticons, _Master_," Starscream hissed, letting one hand trail down beneath his plating near his spark to grab a handful of wires and squeeze. The main thing here was the element of surprise, and Starscream knew he only had so many moments left before Megatron threw him across the room and delivered a punishment worthy of the so-called crime. However, he could have just murdered him right the and there. Offlined him and not had to worry about it. He knew the Eradicons wouldn't question him. Maybe Soundwave, but he could be dealt with easily. Yes, that's what he would do. Squeezing the wiring tighter, Starscream spoke. "But when it comes to the child, Metalstorm...you will not lay one dirty, _disgusting_ claw on him. You won't be _around_ to do—"

Maybe he didn't have as long as he thought he did. Starscream's back hit the wall opposite them in a flash, his wings crushing against it and a small cry of pain emitting from him. In an instant, Megatron was over him, lifting him by the corner of his wings, and applying just enough pressure to have the seeker struggling and writhing in pain.

"You seem to be under the impression that since you share the strongest spark-bond with the child that you will completely determine his life. Mm, Starscream?"

"You did tell me that _I_ would care for him!" Starscream spat, his angry tone falling to a more painful one as Megatron crushed him against the wall, his sensitive wings feeling the weight of it all. Leaning forward, the much larger mech narrowed his gaze, lowering his hands to grasp Starscream's arms tightly.

"And…what was that about me not being around? Oh, my dimwitted second in command..." He drawled, tightening his grip on Starscream's arms. "Perhaps I should look into severing the spark-bond you share with young Metalstorm. I fear you may rub off on him...that he may become an incompetent fool."

"Master—"

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><p>Starscream did not remember much else when he woke in the medical bay, a concerned Knockout standing over him with a datapad. When the two made optic contact, Knockout had to look away.<p>

"...what?" Was that really his voice? Starscream made a face at how weak he sounded. How long had he been out of commission? "Knockout, what is it? I demand that you tell me!"

"It's...Metalstorm, Commander."


	2. Please Read!

**UPDATE TO FIRST CHAPTER**

I'm sorry that this isn't a real update, but I wanted to tell you all to go back and reread the first chapter.

Thanks big time to 'Random Reviewer'. I believe the chapter is at its best now and will be enjoyed a lot more!

I promise to update soon. At least once more before I leave for Spring Break Monday!


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